Hot Dish

Just what you've been waiting for--the first combination dry cleaner, coffeehouse, and flower shop, recently opened at the corner of Preston and Frankford in Far North Dallas. According to the owners of Saint James Cleaners, the "wave of the future" is combining several retail concepts into one--that's how pitifully busy we've become. As the bright minds behind the bright idea imagine it, "here you can pick up your dry cleaning, a dozen roses, and a hot cappuccino all at the same time." And by the way, Saint James' dry-cleaning method is eco-conscious. This brainchild is the result of combined expertise: one partner was formerly the president of Mahan Western Industries (that's right, the boots), another is a computer design engineer, and the third is an investor and stock trader. We knew this combo thing was coming, of course. We already give away a combination newspaper, bird-cage liner, and window washer. And it's 100 percent recyclable.

--Mary Brown Malouf

Saint James Cleaners, 17979 Preston Rd., 713-6222.